chapter 03 Flashcards
strafend
punitive adj.
(inclined to blame, insisting on punishment)
Beispiel:
My teachers had a very punitive attitude, many times we were kept in during playtime even for such minor offenses as talking in class.
geistreich
ingenious adj.
(clever, with original and surprising ideas)
Beispiel:
Her ingenious solution to the problem surprised and delighted everyone.
kurzgefasst
concise adj.
(brief and direct )
Beispiel:
Keep your instructions concise please, we don’t have much time.
fesselnd
compelling adj.
(forceful, demanding attention )
Beispiel:
Her arguments were so compelling that everyone in the room ended up agreeing with him.
launisch
fickle adj.
(changing in character, inconstant)
Beispiel:
She’s so fickle, one day she says “I love you” and the next day she doesn’t return your phone calls.
klar
lucid adj.
(clear, easily understandable)
Beispiel:
Her essay was so lucid that I only had to read it once to understand what she was trying to say.
überflüssig
redundant adj.
unnecessary, useless, unemployed
Beispiel:
Now that we have central heating, that old oil stove is redundant.
erreichbar
accessible adj.
(obtainable, reachable)
Beispiel:
This town isn’t easily accessible, there’s no airport or train station nearby.
ruhig, still
tranquil (adj.) [ˈtræŋkwɪl]
(calm, peaceful)
Beispiel:
At this time of night nothing moves and everything is tranquil.
mutabel, variabel
mutable (adj.) [ˈmjuːtəbl̩]
(able to change)
Beispiel:
Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.
geizig, sparsam
parsimonious (adj.) [ˌpɑːsɪˈməʊnɪəs]
(very careful and modest in the use of resources or the spending of money)
Beispiel:
Buddhist monks are expected to lead very parsimonious lives.
vertretbar, haltbar
tenable (adj.) [ˈtenəbl̩]
(possible to defend or maintain)
Beispiel:
His arguments are tenable; I’m inclined to believe what he says.
lästig, mühsam, schwer
onerous (adj.) [ˈɒnərəs]
(heavy and hard to bear (usually referring to a duty))
Beispiel:
He resigned his position as an ambassador; he found the endless round of parties and dinners rather onerous.
undeutlich, unartikuliert
inarticulate (adj.) [ˌɪnɑːˈtɪkjʊlət]
(unable to express oneself clearly through speech)
Beispiel:
I hate listening to interviews with footballers; they’re usually so inarticulate.
flüchtig, nachlässig, oberflächlich
perfunctory (adj.) [pəˈfʌŋktəri]
(paying little attention, with very little enthusiasm)
Beispiel:
He did apologize to us but in such a perfunctory way that he might as well not have said anything.
abwertend, abschätzig
pejorative (adj.) [pɪˈdʒɒrətɪv]
(negative, critical, not complimentary)
Beispiel:
In the 18th century the word “actress” was generally used in a pejorative sense.
ruhig, heiter, gelassen
serene (adj.) [sɪˈriːn]
(calm, untroubled)
Beispiel:
Louise stood in front of the Mona Lisa, puzzling over the famous woman’s serene smile.
nützlich, zweckmäßig
utilitarian (adj.) [ju:ˌtɪlɪˈteərɪən]
(aiming at usefulness rather than beauty)
Beispiel:
Our hotel rooms were strictly utilitarian, with no ornaments or decoration.
karg, knapp, knauserig (ugs.)
stingy (adj.) [ˈstɪndʒi]
(not generous, mean, unwilling to spend or give)
Beispiel:
He’s so stingy; he never gives anyone any Christmas presents.
einleuchtend
plausible (adj.) [ˈplɔːzəbl̩]
(easy to believe, reasonable (but usually incorrect))
Beispiel:
His explanation was very plausible, but it turned out in the end that he was lying as usual.
gemäßigt
moderate (adj.) [ˈmɒdəreɪt]
(reasonable, not extreme)
Beispiel:
I think of myself as a moderate in politics, but this year I’m going to vote Socialist.
voll von
rife (adj.) [raɪf]
(abundant, full of (something undesirable))
Beispiel:
The students’ essays were rife with errors in grammar and spelling.
angeblich, scheinbar
ostensible (adj.) [ɒˈstensəbl̩]
(appearing to be, seemingly)
Beispiel:
Jack’s ostensible reason for driving to Phoenix was that he couldn’t afford the plane fare, but in fact he’s afraid of flying.
